Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the story line...sadly. JKR owns everything - including the characters, spells, and the entire world of Harry Potter. I wonder if I could buy it from her for a dollar?
Thanks to my wonderful, wonderful beta - dragonsangel68.
~~~~
Chapter 7
The next few weeks went by in a blur. Ginny was starting to look pregnant rather than simply looking as if she'd gained a few pounds in unfortunate places. Her back was starting to arch and she was beginning to waddle, much to Draco's amusement.
The only problem was, Ginny was becoming incredibly bored. She could conduct her daily schedule without even thinking. Wake up, shower, and get dressed. Eat breakfast with Draco after he returned from his morning run (where he ran was a mystery to her as it seemed they were surrounded by nothing but a large, grassy field and a pond), set the dishes washing, curl up on the sofa and read a book. She had read virtually every book of interest on the shelves and now knew more about American World War II fighter planes than she cared to admit. After eating lunch together, she and Draco would go for a walk around the pond outside. Afternoon went much the same as the morning, but laced with more chores Ginny invented to busy herself. They would nap in the afternoon and they'd make dinner together. Draco read the baby to sleep every night. Ginny had begun to enjoy this, as it seemed to calm the baby so it would quit treating her bladder as if it were a Bludger. The Mediwizard had been to the cottage several times to check on Ginny and to reassure the couple that the pregnancy was going according to plan.
It was after breakfast but before lunch. This was how Ginny charted time - by what meals she was in between. In a huff, she threw her book across the room.
Draco looked up curiously from whatever it was he was busying himself. "Something wrong, pet?"
"Yes! I'm bored out of my mind! Not that this isn't lovely for the first couple of weeks, but I cannot sit here for another minute! Can we please go into whatever town is nearby?"
"I thought you were happy staying here," Draco stated in a quiet voice.
"I am happy living here, but I'd like to leave here once in awhile."
Draco stood from the small desk he had been sitting at. "All right. That shouldn't be a problem. Go get dressed."
Ginny went into the bedroom to change, with a grin on her face.
------
After forty-five minutes, Draco began to worry. He'd heard her get into the shower. He'd heard her muttering the charms to make her wavy, auburn hair behave and the drawers opening and shutting. Now, there was dead silence. He walked to the door, knocked and softly uttered her name.
"Come in."
"Ginny, what's wrong? Why are you crying? I thought you were happy we were going into town."
"Nothing fits. I've gotten too big to fit into anything nice."
It hit him like a ton of bricks. She needed new clothes and he'd completely fallen short of taking care of her in this respect. He sat beside her on the edge of the bed and put his arm around her shoulders.
"Surely something fits well enough for us to make it into town and get you something else?" Draco stood up and moved to the armoire. He pulled out her overalls and found a short sleeved, light green t-shirt lying in a pile of clothes on the bed. He laid the overalls on the bed and held the t-shirt up for her inspection.
"The t-shirt doesn't cover my stomach. It's too short."
He returned to the armoire and pulled out one of his own t-shirts. "This will do, I'm sure. It might be a little tight across the middle, but that's to be expected. We'll get you new clothes straight away, not to worry."
Ginny continued sniffling.
"Ginny, what's the problem now? My t-shirt isn't going to look so terrible. It isn't as if you'll have to walk around in it for long."
Ginny looked down to her lap and mumbled something that Draco assumed was supposed to be intelligible. He crossed the room and laid the t-shirt beside her on the bed. Reaching down, he pulled her chin up so she was facing him. "Ginny, I cannot be expected to understand you when you're staring at the floor and mumbling. Out with it."
"None of my knickers fit."
Draco had the grace to keep his mouth shut, but lines of color appeared on his cheeks anyway. One more time he went rummaging through the drawers and found the solution to Ginny's problem.
"Here. Wear these."
Ginny looked at the given item suspiciously.
"They are boxer briefs. Wonderful for keeping everything in check when I run. They'll accommodate you until we can find you something more suitable."
"Ok. I'll get dressed then."
Draco left the room and Ginny dressed in anticipation for their outing.
-------
Several minutes later, Ginny emerged from the bedroom clad in her overalls and Draco's shirt. Draco smirked as he remembered she was wearing his knickers.
"All right, then?"
"Yes. I can't believe I'm wearing your knickers."
"But you wear them well. You look very nice." He placed a kiss on her forehead, wrapped an arm around her waist, and Disapparated them to the nearest shopping district.
-------
The shopping trip went without a hitch. Arriving at the clothier, Ginny picked out several new outfits.
They went from one clothier to another where Ginny shooed Draco away. She had told him there was no need for him to see her knickers. Draco bought two cold drinks from a street vendor and waited for Ginny outside the store.
Ginny appeared and gratefully took the drink Draco offered.
"Find everything you needed?"
"Yes, I didn't know they made knickers to accommodate this huge lump I'm calling a belly."
"Did you find something suitable to wear to bed as well?"
"No. Actually, I rather like the shirt you gave me to sleep in. It's looking worse for wear though."
Draco nodded and offered her his hand. He guided her along the street, giving foul looks to anyone who so much as brushed up against Ginny. They arrived outside a store Ginny knew to be exclusively for the bluest of the blue bloods.
"Do you need something?"
"Not particularly, but you said you'd like some more of the shirts I gave you. This is where I buy them."
"Oh." Ginny looked sheepish. "We don't have to buy them in here, we can get the same thing someplace cheaper, I'm sure."
"I'm sure we could as well; however, I wear the bottoms, and I rather like the ones they sell here."
"Okay."
Ginny and Draco entered the store and went straight to the sleepwear section. They picked out several colors that suited both of them for purchase. Draco handed the cashier the appropriate amount of money, and they exited the store.
Once on the street, Ginny looked at Draco with amusement dancing about her face.
"What?" he asked irritably.
"I think the pink set would have complimented your skin tone wonderfully."
"Ha-ha-you evil bint. I let you get away with the purple ones, didn't I?"
"Point taken."
A silence had fallen over them when Draco heard Ginny's stomach growl rather forcefully. Draco looked at his watch and realized the time.
"I didn't realize it was getting so late. You're probably hungry. Where would you like to go?"
"Where ever that delicious smell is coming from."
Draco led her to the establishment that was emitting the aforementioned pleasing odor, and they were seated inside the cool interior of the restaurant. Their orders were taken and Ginny excused herself to the loo.
When Ginny returned to the table, the food had arrived and she tucked in heartily.
"Is there anywhere else you'd like to go?"
Ginny looked pensive. She finished chewing, before opening her mouth, and, for this, Draco was grateful.
"I'd like to go to a bookshop. I'm sick to death of every book in the cottage. I was also wondering about something that I'd like to ask you about." Draco nodded. "I was wondering if I might plant a garden and some flowers. Nothing too lavish, just something to occupy my time a bit. I was also wondering if I might do some decorating inside the cottage, just to make it feel a bit more like home. We aren't leaving anytime soon, are we?"
"Not unless you want to leave. You've still got a few months left until the baby comes. I thought we'd stay for a bit longer. We'll go and get you gardening supplies right after lunch. If you've still got the energy, we'll also go to look for things for the house."
"Thank you."
"I have actually been putting off going into my office for quite awhile. I didn't want to leave you alone. I thought being there would keep you from being bored out of your skull. Obviously, I was wrong." A smirk graced Draco's features and Ginny realized the last part was meant in jest. Draco continued, "I didn't realize how bored you were, but I'm glad to bring some things to the cottage that will keep it at bay."
"So you're going to start going into work, then?"
"Not everyday, but at least three days a week. I was toying with the idea of nicking a house elf from the Manor for you, in case you needed something."
"I'm sure that would be fine." Ginny's face had fallen a little. No one without a trained eye would have noticed it, but Draco did.
"All right then. Are you finished?"
"Yep," Ginny replied.
"Ready then?"
"I'll always be ready to spend your money, Malfoy."
Draco chuckled. "It's a pleasure to have something of value to spend it on, Weasley."
-------
Ginny was more than exhausted. She really had pushed herself too hard, but she wanted to get everything for the cottage and her garden so she would have something to keep herself busy while Draco was gone. She had bought several new volumes for the bookshelf, some paint and Muggle brushes to add some color to the otherwise white walls, some accent pieces for the living room, and a pretty stationary set with a new quill, so she could write her family and friends. She had been able to visit a teashop and got several types of flavored tea that she was ecstatic about. The only sad part was that most of it had to be delivered, so Ginny was busying herself with putting her new clothes away.
She heard the pop of an Apparition and hurried out of the bedroom. She was famished and Draco had just returned with take-away. How the kitchen always seemed to be stocked with whatever items she needed to make whatever meal she desired Ginny had yet to find out, but neither had felt like cooking.
They ate and exchanged small talk until they were both finished with their meal. Draco picked up the boxes and bags and trekked to the kitchen to toss them out. Ginny went to the bedroom and picked out one of her new sets of pajamas and put on the top. She took the pants out to the living room and left them on the couch arm for Draco, before returning to the bathroom to continue her nightly routine.
Draco found the pants, put them on all the while muttering about how dainty the dark purple satin made him look. Walking into the bathroom, he found Ginny applying some sort of lotion to her distended belly.
"What on earth are you doing?"
"Putting this stuff on my belly. The woman at the store where I bought my knickers said it's supposed to help."
"Help with what?"
"Draco, for you information, pregnancy is not in any way comfortable. It feels like I'm stretching out from the inside. My ankles are swollen, my legs and lower back ache, my shoulders are so tense I can hardly move my head and I can't ever get comfortable enough to sleep well."
"I didn't know. You didn't tell me. You don't often tell me about anything you need. You needed new knickers and you didn't tell me. You needed new clothes and you didn't tell me. I have no idea about what you need. I've never done this before."
"I've never done this before either, and, if you must know, it's rather difficult asking you for things. It's not as if this is the most normal situation in the world. I thought you might have a better clue than me, considering you've read all those books," Ginny reasoned.
"Ah. Well, from now on, you tell me when you need something. We may not be in the relationship typical of these situations, but you should not want for anything that will increase your comfort."
Ginny opened her mouth to speak, but Draco had grabbed her lotion and her hand. She was being dragged towards the living room courtesy of Draco Malfoy.
Standing to the side of the couch, she asked, "What are you doing?"
Draco crawled onto the over-stuffed piece of furniture. "Sit down on that end and give me your feet."
Ginny eyed him suspiciously, but did as she was told. Draco squeezed some of the flowery smelling lotion into his palm and rubbed his hands together to warm it. He began rubbing her feet as if he were a professional masseuse. Ginny's head fell back onto the arm of the couch. Moving up her legs, Draco increased the pressure slightly to release the tension in her calves. Ginny put her arms beside her head to dangle over the edge of the couch. Ginny had been so lost in the sensations of Draco's large, strong hands easing the aches in her calves and thighs, she hadn't expected the cool rush of air that greeted her stomach when he pushed the edges of her nightshirt open. She heard the top of the lotion bottle snap closed and Draco's hands rubbing together before she felt him begin to rub her belly.
"Feeling better?"
A hum left Ginny's throat. "Umm hmm" was her only response. He massaged her sides and moved to hover over her, his hands running underneath her lower back to release as much of the tension as possible given the position he was in. A deep moan escaped Ginny's lips as his fingers rubbed in slow, restricted circles on her lower back.
Draco bent and kissed Ginny's stomach. She had expected that as he'd made a habit of showering her rounded stomach with attention, but what she didn't expect was the shift that came next. She felt the brush of his lips on hers. It was nothing more than a moist, soft caress of lips upon lips, until Draco's hands made their way out from underneath Ginny's back to cup her cheeks. Her arms moved from the arm of the couch so her hands could tangle in the short hair at the base of his neck. Her mouth opened slightly and she felt his tongue barely caress hers. The kiss didn't deepen past this point, but the couple stayed in the same position: him straddled over her hips with his torso hovering above her pregnant belly, his hands cupping her cheeks while his thumbs stroked her face while her fingers massaged the base of his neck. It was sweet and loving, not at all typical of this unconventional couple.
Draco ended the kiss with a few drugging, yet chaste sips of her lips before he rose from the couch and offered his hand. Pulling her from the couch, he led her into the bedroom that she'd slept in since her arrival to the cottage. He peeled back the covers and helped her get situated before moving around to the other side of the bed and slipping beneath the coverlet. He curled up to her side and kissed her temple before snuggling down in the pillow and placing a hand on her stomach. Ginny fell asleep to the motion of Draco's fingers stroking her stomach.
-->